Madara-sensei!
by Desrani Sho
Summary: Forced to do things he never wanted to do, Madara fights to regain control. Sadly, in the end, Madara was just another puppet to a mad man's game. Armed with the knowledge of knowing his loved ones will be safe from Zetsu, Madara dies the death he found he quite liked with regrets heavy in his heart. Waking up inside another alternate him was not on his agenda though.
1. Prologue

Madara grunts as he sits up into a sitting position on his bed. He was exhausted and in pain from his wounds but he brushed passed that with practiced ease as he moves to stand. Doing a quick cursory scan around the room he was in, his new bedroom, he then makes his way out the door and down the empty hallway using the wall for support towards the bathroom, tumbling here and there, not quite used to this bodies height.

His mind was in shambles as he tries piecing together all the pieces with the splitting headache he had and the pain he felt drenched his body. With his vision blurring in and out, he opened the door to the bathroom and walked in, fumbling with the light switch as he did so until it came on. He let out a groan of pain when the bright light hit his retina's. Images, memories, flashed in his mind too quick to grasps, just making the headache worse.

Madara turns on the sinks faucet and leans down, leaning heavily against the counter, splashing water in his face to hopefully help. It did, to some degree. He was confused and in pain but got the gist of his unthinkable situation. It had been a few days since IT had happened after all. With him leaning heavily against the bathroom counter, he goes over everything in his head for the thousandth time, trying to grasp at any control he may have had to make the images stop appearing. Though, with how those images were this body's memory, he doubted that would happen.

It had been three days since he woke up in this body that was his, yet not. He remembered dying by Zetsu's hand when he woke so he was majorly confused at what was going on at first. He also remembered struggling to gain control over his body once more during the heat of battle, an all-out war between the elemental nations.

* * *

_Madara lets out a low groan as his body moves without him wanting it to as it stumbled before stabilizing as his body moved into a battle stance. The sore area around his stomach from the previous punch was a welcome relief from the monotone imprisonment he had before. He just wished the circumstances were different._

_Madara was tired as his body moved without his permission, the control being hijacked by Zetsu many years ago. His onyx eyes moved upward, soon connecting with the brown eyes of the person he once called his brother. Now, he didn't feel like he deserved the title of that self-proclaimed relationship._

_Senju Hashirama looked to be in pain as Senju Tobirama and Namikaze Minato flanked him. The sounds of battle could be heard from a distance as they were quite a ways away from the main battle, the three great shinobi having forced him over here through sheer power. Madara was grateful for that, not wanting to kill even more innocent souls. There was a small pause in their battle as Madara catches a breath, his body not moving for some unknown reason. Hashirama, seeing this, took the chance and spoke._

_"Madara! Why are you doing this?! I thought you loved the village!" He said, desperation and pain evident in his voice. Madara's heart stung as he so badly wanted to explain what was going on, to lay down his crush and demolished pride to ask for help, but he couldn't as even that choice was taken from him. Madara couldn't respond to Hashirama, causing for Tobirama to scoff and glare daggers at him, hurt and anger present in his eyes even as the revived man stood tall. It just hurt Madara more to see that. Minato was stone-faced as he watched on, ready to strike at any moment as he waited behind Hashirama._

_Madara, looking at them, find it in himself to fight against Zetsu's control once more, having previously given up years ago. He felt the control loosen slightly around him, causing Madara to feel the first seedling of hope bloom in what felt like decades. He didn't want to hurt them, not again. So, without responding, Madara attacks them once more, his body fighting while his mind battles for the control he so desperately wanted._

_The flow of the battle continued, Madara not there entirely as he grasped at any control he could. Until, just as the battle escalates into something more, Madara wins._

_The battle stalled once more as Hashirama was holding his side with Tobirama and Minato still flanking him, nursing their own injuries. Hashirama lets out a grunt as he stands to his full height, having been knocked over by Madara's gunbai before._

_"Madara, please! Answer me!" Hashirama yells, anger and worry and so many other emotions heavy in his voice. The thing that hurt him the most though, was the betrayal Madara could hear. His once brother felt betrayed… That didn't sit well with him._

_All was silent as Madara stared blankly at the three men in front of him, nursing a limp as they just stared right back at him. Tobirama scoffs once more. "Not going to talk, you cowardly Uchiha!? Tell us what the hell happened!" He yelled._

_Madara had the perfect chance to attack them then, to land a critical hit on Hashirama and the three men knew this. So when Madara takes a step forward, they tighten their defenses, only for confusion and suspicion to courses through them as Madara forcefully stopped himself from moving his legs, causing the man to jerk back as if hit. An expression of pain and anguish crossed his features as Madara balls his hands into a fist, dropping his weapons in the process. Madara didn't know how painful it was to take back control bit by bit until he was doing it._

_"Madara?" Hashirama spoke, confusion and hope clear in his voice, his eyes wide as he stared at him. Minato and Tobirama shared a look behind his back, not relaxing their stances but not attacking either as Hashirama took the lead once more. Madara just looks Hashirama dead in the eyes, causing Hashirama to let out a gasp at the clear anguish present in his black orbs._

_"Hashirama…" Madara whispers as he shakes slightly, trying to remain in control. It was slipping from him even now. "Tobirama… I am sorry… I… Kill me, now!"_

_Their eyes widen at his words as distant horror sunk into Hashirama and Tobirama. Hashirama looked devastated. "Madara! Wha, why? What is—" Madara doesn't give him the chance to finish as he cuts him off._

_"Now, Hashirama! I-I don't have much time left before my control slips again!" Madara yells as he forcefully shuts his eyes when his Sharingan forcefully activates. "I don't want to kill anyone…"_

_Silence reined upon the group as it dawned to the three great ninjas why Madara was saying this. He wasn't in control of himself. Tobirama and Minato's face soften slightly even as horror and disgust were felt through the three of them. Now that they looked at him more closely, they could see him shaking slightly, most likely from the strain of keeping his body from moving. Hashirama takes the initiative again._

_"Madara…"_

_Hashirama was at a loss as he takes a heavy step forward before freezing when Madara does a bodily flinch and looks to the side with widened eyes, Sharingan spinning rapidly. They didn't have enough time to react before Madara was suddenly right in front of them._

_They jumped back as they prepared to launch a counter-attack before they took stock of the situation. There, right in the middle of his chest, was a sword penetrating through Madara's chest. Their eyes widen as they saw Madara give them a bloody smirk before turning his head to look at the plant man responsible for his wounds._

_Zetsu._

* * *

He had succeeded in his endeavor for control and killed the plant with his Susanoo but it was at the cost of his own life, not that he minded much, he was tired of living anyway. He was just glad that he got rid of Zetsu even as he was dying. At least his loved ones wouldn't have to deal with the twisted man in the future. He distantly hoped that Hashirama and Tobirama would forgive him for his crimes but he knew that wasn't going to happen.

Madara looks up and stares at his reflection through the glass, pushing those thoughts away as he tries to formulate a plan of action on how to proceed from now. A sickly pale form looked back at him, onyx eyes and black hair reaching his cath the same as before. The only thing different from his old body was his height, weight, a slight difference in eye shape, and the loss of one of his eyes.

This body was a little smaller than his old one, possibly a few inches shorter. His eye shape was a little sharper than in his previous body as well, reminding him a bit of Tobirama's eyes. The one that worried him though, was his weight. He was underweight. From just looking at himself, he could easily tell that he was around 100lb and 117lb.

That wasn't good. While he didn't eat much in his other 'life', he wasn't nearly this underweight. Sure, he was teetering the edges but not this bad. Letting out a sigh, Madara glances over his exposed chest, counting all the ribs he could see, as well as all the scars he noticed. Reaching up, he moved aside the bangs hiding the other half of his face, only to be greeted with long jagged scars and a closed scared eyelid. Frowning, he lets his shaking hand fall back to the counter as he then set out to unwrapping his bindings to clean his wound before rewrapping them once more, only finding the gauze, wrapping, and tape after shuffling through his new memories once more. They were in the second cabinet behind the mirror. Madara was curious on how that worked but he figured he'd find out later.

Once done, he then stumbles his way towards the kitchen, plans formulated and ready to put into action. First, he needed to eat, though. His stomach was killing him and, if these memories were correct, he hadn't eaten in a week.


	2. (1) Of Healing and Wonders

Time flies by as Madara gets used to his new body. He trains whenever he could, taking care of his body to it barest minimal, not that he realized as old habits die hard. Hours turn into days and days turn into weeks and before Madara knew it, he had already spent a month in this new place recuperating. Some days Madara could barely get out of bed because of the wounds while other days he could easily ignore the pain of moving around. The first week was hell though.

Madara had to find stuff around the house, looking for medical supplies. Luckily, he'd found a large dark gray bag that largely resembled the bags Anbu carried around inside sealing scrolls. After looking around, he had found a tag that said 'Military Duffle Bag'. He assumed that was what it was called.

He had found sutures in the bottom of the bag, in a zipper pocket, as well as a sewing kit. With some other medical supply being in a cabinet in the bathroom, he made do with what he found. Making a shaky clone, he cleaned his wounds the best he could before stitching them up with the help of the clone. He couldn't find any pain meds so he forgoes them in favor of sleeping away his problems.

Madara stumbled a lot less than before as well as he did workouts and exercises that wouldn't be too much for his injured body but still had trouble with the height difference. Physical therapy in other words. Luckily, since he seemed only to be a few inches shorter than before, he was quickly getting the hang of it. Still, a few inches could cost him his life as he still knew practically nothing of this place.

During this month of recuperating and regaining his strength, Madara took the time to settle down and go over his new memories. While it still made him have a massive headache to think on them—now that he could think on them and they weren't just flashing before him—he could make out that he was the 'Uchiha Madara' of this world. Yes, 'world'. Madara found out that instead of being sent into another body that looks strikingly similar to his old one, he was sent into an alternative body of his own that lived in another world. Madara was quite shocked but also majorly curious as the idea wasn't entirely impossible. Seals, he found, could do things beyond impossible.

Especially if a certain blond menace and his son were behind them.

While he worked through his new memories, he took it easy with his training. From what he could see, once he was healed, he was going to need to pick up on it majorly. Apparently, this body was badly out of shape along with being malnourished. Madara had his work cut out for him, that he was sure of. So, he started with stretches and small chakra exercises that wouldn't hurt him as bad. From what Madara could tell, it was going to be at least six months before he was fully recovered, possibly a year even, as Madara was going for a natural approach since he wasn't certain about the healthcare around here. Though, it would probably be a year then as well if his theory was correct. Luckily, it seemed that medical ninjutsu helped here but, for some reason, it was less dense, causing him not to be able to heal himself at a rate he could before.

That just added to a growing theory of his.

He also found that he quite liked spending time in this cozy little cottage out in the woods, enjoying his newfound freedom. Before the Madara of this world died, he at least had the smarts enough to buy this place with the stolen funds he had acquired. Madara chose to overlook the 'how' in this situation as he had no clue why the old man that had given him this place had agreed. Though, the man did look familiar... Madara had put that thought aside for later investigation once he was healed enough.

Another thing Madara noticed though, was that he hadn't felt this free in all the days he could remember as there was always a war or fighting that kept him from this strange thing called peace. It unsettled him at how peaceful it was, how quiet the world around him had become. While he quite liked this so-called peace, it was making him anxious about an attack that was never going to come.

Madara was not used to peace, nor was he used to quiet. Living with the Uchiha tended to do that to a person. Even with Zetsu, they were always around making some kind of unsettling noise, just to creep him out.

During his time sifting through his new memories, he found out that this body's previous owner had been the firstborn of his father, just like in Madara's old world, but there were some odd differences that Madara could make out. While his younger brothers were still alive and in the picture, his father or mother wasn't, as if their roles were reversed. The one in their place though was of an old man that Madara had only heard about in legends.

Otsutsuki Indra.

The legendary man was a surprise to see, especially for how young the man looked. Madara can distantly remember himself calling the man 'Grampa Rara'. It made Madara shiver just thinking about it, but… Whenever he said that name to the man, he would just smile at Madara. He was quite curious about the man. Though, knowing how it was unlikely to see him again, he pushed away from the feeling. This Madara's life had not been a kind one, much like his own.

The previous Madara had been kidnapped at the roughage of ten before spending years being tortured and used as a slave and lab rat to his kidnappers. If Madara was remembering correctly, he was twenty-nine right now.

It was only two months ago—meaning one month as Madara had already spent a month here as it was starting up on the third month here—when he had escaped from his captures, hence the wounds on Madara. It seems that he had died though, due to these injuries. Madara could see how he did as the man didn't know how to take care of these types of wounds. Especially the head injury he gained, which healed up mostly during the month spent recuperating. On the bright side, the man had managed to blow up the base he was tortured in. With how there was a map of other locations that he had gotten a glimpse of, there were bases other than the one he was held in so he knew the hunt wasn't over.

Madara vowed to kill those who had hurt this bodies Madara if only to rid himself of unnecessary trouble wanting to catch up on him later on down the line. Today, though, was going to be something different from the usual pattern as Madara got ready. Today, he was finally going to go out and explore the odd city he saw a few miles away. While he couldn't see it during the day, it was an eyesore to spot during the night with all the light it blared. It made Madara curious as even with this bodies memories because the man had been kidnapped at the young age of ten, he didn't have many memories of how the outside world looked.

Madara carefully pulled on a slightly oversized navy blue long-sleeved turtle neck shirt. He was careful as he didn't want to reopen the now-closed wounds. While he knew how to use medical chakra—years of laying in a dark cave bored out of his mind did that to him—he took notice that it wasn't as potent as it would be in his homeworld. Where he could heal these harsh wounds all over his body through the course of a week and be fine if not sore for a few more weeks, he could bare even grow the tissue to close the wound and soothe them and even that was slow. It seemed that the chakra here just wasn't as strong. That and his reserves were much smaller than he had previously, causing Madara to train vigorously in trying to build up his reserves again. He was, quite frankly, peeved. He had spent years on those reserves, damn it!

It did make sense to Madara once he had calmed down enough to think over it as he hasn't felt much of any chakra signatures, even with the large city close by. It just added to his growing theory that this world lived without chakra, which was bizarre to Madara.

Slipping on a pair of baggy dark blue pants that reminded him of Anbu pants but with more pockets, he sifted through the closet in his room to find some footwear. There wasn't much in the closet, just a few oversized pieces of clothing and, moving aside a small box, a pair of black boots. The boots reminded him of the ninja boots that the land of Snow and Iwa favored. It looked a lot more sturdy than those and had more wrappings—buckles, his mind supplied—on it.

Slipping them on, he ties the strings before making his way out of the unkept and barren cottage, grabbing the large over the shoulder bag that held the medical supply. Making a mental note to liven up the place later, not having the time nor care to do so before, Madara closes the door behind him and takes up into the trees once he regulated his chakra and the traps on his new base sprung to life. Today, the pain he felt was on a minor level so he could move more freely. Still, he made sure to be as careful as he could while making his way towards the city.

Jumping through the trees with little difficulty, as the trees greatly resembled the ones in the land of fire, just a little smaller, he carefully unzips his bag and ruffles through it. After a few moments of doing this, he then pulls out a small rectangular leather box that held his money in it. He zips up the bag again and pushes the small button on the top of the box thing, causing it to open. Looking inside, he sees half of the thing is covered in green paper, money if his memories were correct. He looked at them to see the number **100** printed onto them, along with a lot of odd little details and a head surrounded by a circle in the middle of the paper.

Counting it, he comes up with one hundred pieces of paper. Quickly counting, he had about ten thousand bucks on hand, as well as the money he didn't sort through back at the cottage. Besides the money, there seemed to be a few cards inside as well. From what he could tell, they were fake ID's, something similar to the fake documents that he and Tobirama had to deal with when the laws in Konoha had finalized.

Now with an idea of what he should be doing besides scoping out the town, he closes the thing back and pockets it into one of the many pockets on his pants. Hearing the town close, he slows down and drops from the trees, walking at a leisure pace. It didn't take long before the trees parted, only to show a park with few people scattered around. Pulling his chakra close to himself, he walks right past them.

They didn't react.

It seemed that the theory was somewhat proven. His chakra wasn't the same. Pull it in and you seem invisible, or at least unnoticeable. While it wasn't like that back in his homeworld, it seems that his chakra here was more directly connected to his presence as well as life force than just his life force like back in his old world. In other words, chakra had less to do with the body as all humans in his world were made up of chakra. It was the reason why ninja could do what they could so easily. Here though, it was different. It seems that the body supply's itself more on the organs and fats of the body one hundred percent instead of the fifty percent he was used to.

It amazes Madara just as it worries him. Walking past a few more people on the paved sidewalk, he looks around with curious eyes. Large houses made up of not just wood greeted him back. The roads were filled with metal things—cars, he thought—instead of people and it was paved with rock instead of dirt. The people wore odd clothing and relaxed body language. It was surreal to Madara, having only a month ago came from a battlefield and even then, this body had only, just two months ago, escaped from torture. Both body and mind were still recuperating.

Walking further into the city just upped that feeling as more new and amazing things entered his line of sight. Stopping every now and then just to stare at the things in stores, he thinks they were stores with those large see-through things—glass his mind supplied—showing stuff on display, he found himself enjoying his slow trek through the city.

Traveling around, decisively staying far away from the metal things—car's, he thought again—moving on the road, he soon comes across a large tan and white building with tons of car's not moving in the front of it. Cautiously moving around them, he decides to enter the large building after reading the large letters hanging onto to it. Whatever it was, this 'Walmart' sounded interesting.

Walking in, he silently bypasses the large metal baskets and instead grabs a small carriable basket. Passing the lady in the yellow vest, he looks around in hidden amazement. There were so many things here. To his right was a place selling fresh veggies and to his left, there were clothes, along with a row of counters that seemed to span across this side of the store to the other side.

Being cautious, Madara goes about walking around, picking up a small bag of cherry tomatoes and a few cans of canned peas; and wasn't that amazing that people thought to seal vegetables in cans? Continuing through the store, he picks up around ten boxes of Pocky once he found it stashed away in some random aisle, a few apples, and a variable amount of seeds and gardening supplies. Once done, he heads towards the aisle with some weird devices at the back of the store he caught a glimpse of.

Looking around them, he read the labels. Apparently, they were 'Computers', 'Laptops', and 'Phones'. Madara was confused about these things and looked at them for a long while, debating on what they did as he found no instructions on them. Turning around, he then headed off into the clothes section he spotted, deciding to find a book in that out of the way book store he saw on his way down the street. It was bound to know some things.

On his way towards the clothes, he picked up some plain white paper he found, as well as some 'pencils'. He had seals to make and a storage seal would do him wonders right now. Finally, he reached his destination and looked around at the clothes present. A lot of the stuff was odd-looking but he couldn't help putting some stuff in the basket when he felt them. One of these things just so happens to be a very soft and furry black coat that stopped just below his butt. Oversized but Madara didn't mind. In all actuality, he preferred it like that. Always have preferred clothes that hung on him as they were comfy but sadly, it wasn't professional.

Once that was done, he then blended in with the crowd and followed people to the front and into lines. _'This must be where we pay for things?'_ He thought as the lady in front of him handed the man behind the counter cash before pushing her cart towards the large doors he came in. Stepping forward, he gently rests the basket he was holding on top of the counter and looked at the man. Said man was looking at him with wide, shocked eyes.

"U-Uhm… S-Sir, when did you…? Ah, never mind. D-Did you have a nice time shopping?" The man stutters for a moment be for he gets about picking stuff out of his basket and scanning it. Madara looked at the odd machine as he stood stock still before nodding. He looks back up at the man.

"Yes." He states, causing the man to shift as he scans a few more items, putting them in bags once he did. Once that was done, the man pressed a few buttons before looking back at Madara. "Will you be paying with cash or card?" He asks, voice cracking slightly as he shakily smiles at him. Madara just takes out his small box-like thing—Wallet he is suspecting it is— and clicks it open. "Cash." He guessed that that meant paying with the green paper since he only had ID cards on him.

The man nods and clicks a few more buttons before responding once more. "Your total will be 164.89 dollars, sir. Would you like a receipt?" He asks. Madara shakes his head and hands him two hundred dollar bills. He puts his box wallet away once the man returns the leftover change and grabs the four bags full of his stuff.

"H-Have a nice day, sir." The man says, his smile much more sturdy now. Madara nods at him. "Thank you, you as well." Before he treks his way back out of the store. It wasn't until he was already putting the bags in his military duffle bag and taking out the coat did a strange feeling register.

He's done this before…

Looking through his memories, he ignores the slight impending headache as he zips up his bag and heads his way towards the book store after taking off the tags on the coat and slipping it on. Once he was halfway there, he finally found the memory he was looking for. It was of alternative him and Grampa Rara out shopping for the first, that he could remember, time. Madara couldn't have been more than five

* * *

_Madara was riding on top of his Grandpa's sturdy shoulders as they went through the large store, making Madara giggle gleefully in delight. Grandpa just quirked his lips up in amusement at the little Madara. Looking around in joy, Madara spotted dozens upon dozens of people milling about in the store. He laughed once more when he saw a brown-haired boy trip over his own feet and lands face-first into the ground. The woman with them was holding a baby who looked about two years old with white, fluffy hair. A man was standing with her and picked up the now slightly teary boy._

_Madara found it amusing as he gripped his grandpa's long, wild locks._

_"Alright, Mada-chan. Time to get down, we need to pay and I need both of my arms." Grandpa said, causing Madara to let out a whine and pout but he complied and let Grandpa grab him and lower him to the ground without a fuss. The woman behind the counter let out an awe and complimenting him before asking Grandpa a few questions. Madara wasn't focused on the woman though, he was focused on the weird machine the woman was using._

_Lightly tugging on Grandpa's jeans, he looks up at him with wide, black eyes. Grandpa looks back down at him with a raised eyebrow. "What is it?" He asks. Madara just points to the weird machine. "What's that's?" He asks in a childishly curious tone. Grandpa's other eyebrow joins in raising as he looked amused._

_"That, Mada-chan, is a cash register. It's there to scan our items and keep the money safe." He explains, being as blunt and simple as he usually was. Madara made this 'Oh' face and blushes in embarrassment at asking such an easy question. Grandpa just gives him a soft, barely noticeable smile and pats his head gently._

* * *

Shaking out of the memory, Madara lets out a small sigh and, finally, sees the book store. He hums and enters, tensing at the small bell that rang above him. Looking around, he relaxes once he sees the small bell on the door ledge. His eyes narrow before he huffs and turns away, heading deeper into the store, ignoring the small welcome from the woman at the small desk to his left.

He walks around skimming the book aisles for a while, taking out a book, reading the title and summary before putting it back. It took him roughly an hour and a half to pick through the books he was looking for. Setting the books down on the table to his left, he starts sorting through his ten books collected on this worlds history, some of the science of this world, a book on money and laws, a book on art history, a book on the odd devices he found in the back of Walmart and how to use them, as well as a book on this city and a book on gardening. Madara didn't know if it was different here or not.

Looking through his miniature collection, he hums with narrowed eyes before turning on his heel and heading back towards a bookshelf. He grabs a black-covered book, the title only saying Military for dummies and a blue-covered book with gold lettering on the front saying 'Recent History on the buildings in Konoha City' before he made his way back towards the place he left his books. He froze though when he got around the bookshelf and saw a bomb of a blond Namikaze Minato staring at his books on the table. As if noticing something shifting just out of his view, the blond looks up and makes direct eye contact with Madara.

_'Oh shit… I am not ready for this…'_

* * *

**Happy Halloween! I am sorry but I do not have a special today. I might try and get one out today but it would be short. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Also, please go back to the prologue and reread it. I added a few more scenes and stuff, fleshed it out.**


	3. (2) Of Electronics and Old Memories

Madara stood frozen with his two books in hand, onyx eye locked in with starlight blue ones. There was an odd pause between the two men as Minato looked as startled as Madara felt. He had not been expecting to come across the blond man, having not known that he even lived around here so this was certainly a surprise.

Madara was unsure if it was a good one though.

Minato softly coughed into his hand, snapping Madara out of his frozen state as the blond gave Madara a kind, if not curious, smile with a calculative glint in his eyes. Leaning back, Minato straightened his poster.

"Hello, sir. Are these books yours?" He asks questioningly, head tilted to the side a bit. Madara cautiously nods as he makes his way back towards his books. Now standing a few feet apart from each other, Madara rests the two other books on top of the stack, ignoring his instincts telling him to back away from the man.

"Yes, they are." He replied, voice soft but deep and a little gravelly from misuse. Madara caught the slight movement of Minato's eyes widening before the man gave Madara another curious smile. "I see! Quite interesting and diverse subjects you're looking into. I didn't know many people still looked into them these days. Or, at least not here anyway, with how everything is mostly on the web. Most of those books have been collecting dust here for a few years now." Minato said as he leaned back against the chair behind him.

Madara just nods at him as he goes about separating the thick books from largest to smallest for easier holding. "I am aware. It is a shame to see books go to waste like this. I plan on catching up on some things as I haven't had the time previously and feel better when reading them." He states as he finishes his organizing. The pile looked large with how thick most of the books were. Madara mentally goes over the path he took to get to this spot as he knew it was unlikely that he would be able to see while he walked. That and his injuries were starting to hurt with all the exercise he's done today. Walking took a lot out of him regrettably. As if seeing this, Minato leans forward and asks, "Would you like some help?"

Madara sharply looks over at the man with a frown marring his half-covered face. He stares at the patiently smiling blond for a few seconds before nodding slightly and splitting the stack in half, carrying a much smaller weight than he previously intended. "Thank you, that would be appreciated." He said as he shifted his stance once more to account for the weight in his arms. Only half and it was still annoyingly heavy. He was annoyed at how weak he was but there was nothing he could do until his wounds healed. Even he wasn't suicidal enough to train in this state. Though, now that he thought about it, maybe it would be better if he just offed himself? He had nothing to live for, he didn't even know what he was living for anyway. Why was he trying so hard for nothing?

This just confused him so he decided to push the thought back for later thinking on when he wasn't in the presence of Minato.

Looking back to Minato, having looked down at the books in his arms when he was thinking, he was startled to see the blond looking at him with a tilted head and another kind but curious smile on his face, arms full of his books. Madara frowned at the man and turned on his heel, heading back towards the counter he passed on his way inside. When did he move? Was Madara that out of it to not even notice a potential enemy move closer to him? He defiantly needed to up his training if that was the case. Luckily, tuning his senses don't require very much movement on his part. At least, not until stage 3 anyway.

"So, you mentioned catching up on stuff? You must be a busy person then." Minato said to him when he caught up, now walking beside Madara. It seemed that Minato had enough smarts to walking on his right side, seeing as his vision was impaired on his left. Though, not that Minato knew that with how thick his hair was and how much it covered.

"You could say that." He replied, sounding a bit sarcastic. After all, being held captive and tortured _definitely_ was what someone would call being a busy person. Not like he would say that to the man though. Minato just chuckles good naturally as they travel in silence to the counter. They both set down their piles before the woman behind the counter smiles at them and starts ringing everything up.

"Will that be all, sirs?" She asked. Madara nodded as he leaned down, hiding a wince at pulling a few of his stitches, and takes out his wallet. He handed her two hundred bills when she said the total before tucking it back away in his pants pocket after getting the change. Taking his now bagged books, he turns towards the exit only to see Minato watching him. Madara raised an eyebrow at the man in question.

Minato just smiles at him with a silent look in his eyes that instantly put Madara on edge. He narrowed his eye at the blond, preparing himself in case he decided to attack. After staring at each other for a few silent seconds, Minato finally speaks his question.

"Do you like children?" Minato asked, throwing Madara off completely. With a deadpan look, he replied.

"What."

A flash of amusement could be seen across the blond's face as his smile stretched a bit wider as if to hide laughter.

"Do you like children? Would you take care of them if you had to? Teach them things? Or do you find them too annoying?" He asked again, this time elaborating on what he was asking. Madara just stared at him with a look of dry disbelief, not really registering what the man was asking of him. Sure, he knew his answers for what he asked but what Madara couldn't figure out why he was asking this. Deciding to just play along, for now, he cautiously nods.

"I do not mind them. If it would benefit them, I would teach them anything I am capable of. Why do you ask this?" He asks, suspicious but it wasn't like this information could hurt Madara. He had no children to protect after all. Minato just smiles at him calmly, eyes twinkling as he looked oddly pleased. Madara couldn't understand why.

"My name if Namikaze Minato, sir, and I would like to ask you to join me." He takes out a card from the gray vest he was wearing, handing it to Madara. "I am the principle of the Academy up ahead a few blocks, Konoha Academy. I am looking for some teachers to fill a vacant spot, a library teacher. Before you ask, yes, a library teacher isn't a real position in normal schools but I pride myself in making my Academy not a normal school."

Madara just stood before the man, dumbfounded at this turn of events. He stared at the card being held before him as he glanced up at the still smiling man. With hesitance, he takes the card and looks at it, eye narrowed once more. Finding his voice, he speaks.

"I do not believe that I am suited to be a teacher, Namikaze-san." He said, fumbling for words for a second, not exactly sure what to say. He's never honestly been around kids, even from his own clan. They didn't like him. Minato's eyes widen slightly before he just chuckled at him. "Do not worry about that, sir. I am sure you will be a great one. If you want to anyway. The decision is up to you. Now then, if you need me, just call or text, my number is on there. You have two and a half months to decide as summer break started a week ago." Minato looked down at his watch as he shifts. "Sadly, I must go. Please do tell me your answer when you have one. If you'll excuse me, sir."

Minato nodded his head in a slight bow then turned and quickly left the shop, leaving a dumbfounded Madara behind. Looking back down at the card in his hand, he stared at it for a long moment before letting out an inaudible sigh and pocketing it. With grace he didn't believe he still had, he walked out of the door and down the street to head back to his house.

Today had been a tiring one as he ached all over. He was just ready to lay down and rid himself of his thoughts on what the hell just happened. With a swift pace, he made his way home in the hour. Once there, he slipped off his boots next to the door before setting everything down on the kitchen bar and started unpacking the new things he gathered, expertly ignoring the immense pain he felt.

He then put the books in the vastly empty bookshelves on both sides of the living room. They took up all of the wall space, besides the arch in the left wall where the archway was for the hallway. Once done putting his books on the bookshelf next to the front door, he then went to the kitchen across from the door that was right next to the hallway. Separating the bags, he put away the canned veggies into the cabinets above the bar before putting his gardening stuff in the cubby in the left corner of the kitchen, right across from the archway leading out.

After that was done, he then took the clothes he had bought and went to his room. Down the hallway, he bypassed three doors, two on his right and one on his left. The guest room and the two others the study and bathroom, and entered the door at the end of the hallway. His bedroom. To his left, his bed lay in the corner, farthest away from the door but also the best advantage point to see everything and with a window close by in case of a need to escape arises. They were trapped so he didn't worry too much about that.

Now that he thought about it, he should probably get better stuff to trap around the house other than the scarce kitchen utensils and wire he found. Well, what worked, worked.

Putting up his clothes inside of the dresser to his far-right, he glances at the small bookshelf beside the dresser on the other wall. Once that was done, he then went to the bathroom and took his shirt off. He got to work on rebandaging his wounds before he pulled on the new coat he got when he was finished. With no shirt under his warm coat, he went to grab a few of his new books before resting on the chair angled beside the couch to the right of the room.

Cracking open the first book he grabbed, he started reading. He would rather be sleeping right now but his curiosity won over in the end.

Reading in silence, time passes. Minutes turned into hours and hours turned into days as Madara read his twelve books, only getting up to use the bathroom and rebandage his wounds, eat, train, or sleep. As he read, he understood his position in this world a little better, knowing the information he now had.

It was surprisingly similar to his world history, only most events and equipment were different. Just like his world, three wars have happened here, one only ending eight years ago. From what he gathered, the first war lasted around fifty years, surprisingly long but also reasonable with how it seemed to be back in the olden days. Apparently, power was everything to the fools back then. Still was but on a different scale today. A lot of the people didn't have rights as they now did today. Or so says the history books anyway.

From what Madara read, around a hundred years passed with no major conflict as they seemed to not want to fight with their home still in shambles. The second war, Madara read, lasted around twenty years with a ten-year peace before the third war came and went with eight years of war and so far, eight years of peace.

It amazed Madara as he read on about the history of this world and how they fought, no mention of chakra or jutsu in-sight. Once he finished with the history books, he then read the others, collecting information on the so-called 'phones' and electronics. The concept was so new to him, making him curious and wanting to try it. It also explained why Minato said to call or text him for his reply or the mention of the 'web' as he called it. He was referring to these phones.

Madara then got acquainted with the laws of this place as he read the law book, as well as how he was going to combat that. A plan formulated in his mind as he sat in his now dubbed reading chair, a week and a half after returning from his first look at the city. With his arms crossed, Madara reclined back and stared up at the white ceiling above in silence before letting out a sigh and stood up, putting back the last of the books he bought. He then went and put on a pair of pants that looked similar to the ones he wore when he went out. Slipping a black short-sleeved shirt over his head, he put on his new favorite black coat. He was in pain today and didn't feel like moving but he pushed that aside as he had better things to do than sleep.

He already dreaded when he came back from his trip.

Grabbing his duffle bag, he slipped it on and put his wallet inside his large pockets before he exited his home. He set up the traps around the place before taking to the trees. It only took around twenty minutes to get to the city. Once there, he then walked towards a building he read in the book he got about this place. It was called Konoha city though many people just call it leaf city.

The irony was not lost on him.

Madara could see why it was called that though, with how many trees surrounded the place, as well as how many were planted inside of it. It was breathtaking to him. Nature was everywhere here, which was amazing as even Hashirama had put a limit on how many trees could be in their village. Here though? No such thing. It oddly felt natural. From what he got from the book, it wasn't natural for a city to have so much nature inside its walls, which just made Madara amused.

Finally spotting the building he was searching for, he entered it after reading the letters printed out on the front. It was weird to Madara that he could read even though he had never seen this language before, nor spoke it, but he didn't look a gifted kunai in a seal. Madara just theorized that it was because this body grew up with this language and so it became the primary one. He had tested a few days ago if he could still speak his original language and he could, if not a little sloppy now. The same was with writing.

Walking inside, he went over to one of the people behind the weird-looking counters. The man, looking to be middle-aged, looked up and gave a smile at him, not even batting an eye at his appearance beside the slight shift of his body that told Madara the man was surprised. He must be used to people looking odd then.

Sitting down in the chair presented to him, he got down to business.

"I'm looking into getting an ID, banking account, and a new birth certificate and card. I lost my old one." He said, causing the man behind the counter to nod and roll back on his chair to the filing cabinets behind him. He grabbed a few documents and came back to Madara. Setting down the files between them, he grabs a pen for Madara to use.

"I will need your papers of residency here, as well as your name, sir." The man said as he went typing away on his computer after handing him a pen. Madara nods and unzips his duffle bag. Bringing out a large yellow folder, he sifts through it and hands the man the papers on his house, claiming he owned it. The man takes it to look over and make copies while Madara goes about signing and looking through the files the man gave him. He worked in silence with the people around him speaking in low voices.

The man handed him his papers back and went back to typing away on his computer, having gotten Madara's name from the papers. Soon, Madara finished all the paperwork he needed to fill and handed it back to the man. He smiles at Madara as he pauses and takes them, sifting through them before nodding and goes back to typing away at something on his computer.

"If you will give me a second, I'll have your document printed and your ID and card made." He said.

Madara nodded as the man then hit a key and stood up, walking to the back and got to work on making his stuff. Around thirty minutes later, the man came back and handed him his stuff. "There you go, Sir. That will be 89.73 dollars."

Madara took out the amounted change and handed it over as he took his new stuff and put it inside his wallet, his document went inside his folder as it went back inside his bag. He stood up and nodded to the man in thanks before leaving, stretching his legs as he did so. Madara was surprised at how fast it was, even if it did take an hour and a half to do. It must have had something to do with how few people were in there at the time.

With a snort, he then made his way to his next destination. The electronics store he read about being somewhere around here. It didn't take long for him to find it, the white building standing out among the tan, powder blues/greens, and grey ones. Entering it, he went up to the counter where a boy was, looking to be a teen or just coming into adulthood. The boy looked up at him with large eyes as he approached.

"Oh, h-hello sir! Um, w-what can I-I g-get you t-today?" He asked, voice slightly squeaky. Madara raised an eyebrow at his reaction as he leans against the counter to try and take some of the weight off his wounds. They freaking hurt!

He didn't take notice of the boy's complex paling at how he towered over him unconsciously.

"I would like to see one of the best phones you carry, as well as a laptop." He said, causing the teen(?) to nod his head fast.

"Ah, y-yes! I-if you'll e-excuse m-me!" He then turns and practically ran into the door behind him to escape. Madara just looked at the doorway the teen ran through with a look of confused amusement. He didn't have to wait long before a busty woman walked through it. She smiled at him as she went over to the counter with two boxes in her arms.

"Hello, sir, I am Rachel Berry. It's nice to meet you. I was informed that you were looking for our best phone and laptop?"

Madara nods to her in conformation. She smiles. "Good, I have them right here. If this is what you want, then let's get them set up for you after you pay. Will you be paying in increments or full?"

It took around an hour to set everything up after buying them but Madara was pleased. He left the store happy and with an almost empty wallet. He was just glad he restocked his wallet with a few extra hundreds beforehand as now he was only left with a few extra hundreds. The woman he spoke to seemed to be very pleased and a little shocked when he paid both of them in full and set up a plan for them with his new bank account. The book on money had definitely prepared him for this.

Now pleased with all he's done today, he headed back towards the book store he visited before. Entering, he saw that the counter was empty of anyone. Shrugging, he looks around the store for a bit, grabbing a few more books on other things he found interesting. While he still had a lot more to read on the ones he already bought, he wanted to have more for later. It was now a small goal of his to fill up his vastly empty bookshelves all over the house, especially the ones in the living room.

Thirty minutes later, now carrying five books, he went back to the counter and set them down, not paying attention to the man behind it until he was done. Looking up, he freezes when he sees who it was.

Sarutobi Hiruzen was sitting right then with a surprised look on his olden face. Silence reigned over them for a few moments before Hiruzen smiles at him, relief seen in his eyes.

"Madara, it is good to see you in good health. How are the injuries?" He asked kindly as he slowly goes about ringing up Madara's books. Madara just stands there for a moment, looking somewhat lost on what to do as everything slowly clicks, vague memories coming to light.

"Hiruzen… It is good to see you as well. My wounds are fine." He says, voice sounding a bit surprised but mainly unreadable. Internally, Madara was freaking out, now realizing why the man who sold him the house looked so familiar. It was the third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen!

Hiruzen just smiled at Madara as he reclines back in the wheeled chair he sat in, hand twitching slightly. "Ah, good, good. I was worried there. How is the house for you? Comfortable?" He asks. Madara leans forward against the desk to try and take some of the edge off as he nods softly.

"Yes. The house is decent and… cozy… Now that I am able to get up and about for longer periods of time, I plan to make it homier. Do you, by chance, have any suggestions?" Madara says, tilting his head slightly in question. Hiruzen's eyebrow raises slightly but he nods non-the-less. "I'd go for earthy tones as the house is quite small. Warm colors with some diverse colored plants spread about the place would look quite nice."

Madara lets out a hum in thought before nodding his head in agreement. "It would. Does Walmart carry that stuff?" He questions as he watches Hiruzen sets his books down in a brown sack. He slides it over the desk towards Madara. Madara leans down and grabs his wallet, ignoring the now fevering pain in his chest and stomach.

He'd have to check on it when he got home. Hopefully, before then, he doesn't pop any of his stitches.

"Yes, they do." He says as he raises a hand, causing Madara to pause in opening his wallet. He smiled kindly at Madara. "Non of that, now. It is on the house. Consider it a gift for getting better from me." Madara stared at him, dumbfounded, before he slowly nods and repockets his wallet, keeping his breathing even from the immense pain he felt.

"Thank you…" Madara mutters. Hiruzen just lets out a fond sigh through his nose. "No, thank you, Madara. I am glad to give you a home in such a time of need." He replies. Madara just stared at Hiruzen, confusion clearly visible on his face. Without meaning to, his question slips out.

"Why?"

"Pardon?"

Madara frowns but continues. "Why? Why did you help me? I was clearly injured and not in my right mind then. You had even let me go after I refused to go to the hospital. Why?" He asked again. Hiruzen's smile falls slightly as his eyes widen before the old man lets out a small snort. With a fond voice, he replies.

"Because you needed help. You did not look so good and I wanted to help. I needed to get rid of the place anyway. You had money on you but even if you didn't I still would have given you the place. While I wanted nothing more than to rush you to the hospital during that time, I myself knew better than to do that when you told me no." Hiruzen pauses as Madara just felt more confused. Looking at each other, he continues. "You are a war veteran, are you not?"

Madara's eyes widen as he stiffens. Hiruzen just smiles gently at him though as he reaches over and grabs the pack of red cigarettes on the desk. "It is quite easy to tell if you are looking for it. That and I saw you at one of your weakest times. While I am curious as to how you became of that injured, I will not ask. All that I will ask of you, is that you come to me if you need anything, alright? Even if it is to annihilate someone. I, myself, am an old war veteran of the second war. Living 68 years, I have seen both the second and third war from start to finish so I know a thing or two." Hiruzen finishes as he twirls the pack around in his hand.

Madara was speechless as he stared at the old Sarutobi, it wasn't every day someone tells you their willing to kill for you after all. Several long seconds passed by them in dumbfounded silence as Madara watched Hiruzen with sharp eyes, searching for any lies that the old man could be telling. When he found non, Madara relaxes a bit and lets out an audible sigh. Dipping his head forward, he nods in gratitude.

"Thank you." He said, clearly conveying his gratitude. He watches as Hiruzen's eyes soften at him.

"You are welcome, Madara," Hiruzen said before he stood up, pack in hand. Glancing to the clock, he notices the time and starts heading towards the door. "Well, time for my brake." Madara gently grabbed his bag full of books and follows him to the door and outside the shop.

"Oh, sorry for taking up your time. I should probably get going now." He says. Hiruzen stops and leans against the wall next to the front door of his shop. He flips open his pack and grabs a cigarette. "It is quite alright, Madara. Be safe on your way home- Oh, right. Here." He reaches into the pocket of the old looking coat he wore and handed Madara a card.

Madara took it cautiously. "This is my number, as well as the store's number. Call or text any time you want to ask something of me or the store. I'll even hold books back if you would want them." He says as he then takes out a square metal lighter and lights his cigarette. Taking a puff, Madara raises an eyebrow at the man as he practically turns into the wall behind him with how much his shoulders sagged. Amused at Hiruzen, he lets out a snort as he pockets the card. He nodded to the man as he starts walking his way back towards home.

"Will do. I'll text you when I get home so you have my number. Have a good day, Hiruzen." He says as he walks away.

"You as well, Madara! Come again soon." Hiruzen calls back.

Madara smiles slightly as he heads home, tired, in pain, and exhausted but feeling like he accomplished all that he needed for today. When he got home, he set about putting up his five new books before he fumbles with his new phone. Just as that Berry lady had shown him, he turns on the phone and searches for the app he needed. Finding the call app, he clicks it before looking around and soon went to typing in Hiruzen's number. After a few minutes of looking, he finds and clicks the button for texting before he went away to send out a quick text to the old man. He then went and sat down in his reading chair. He lets out a loud sigh as he relaxes into it, closing his eyes as his body finally rests. Without meaning to, he soon falls into a light sleep, exhausted from all he's done that day.

He could honestly say he was curious about what would come out of it.

* * *

The house was dark as Madara sat at the kitchen bar, leaning heavily against it with his hands clasped together in front of him, a mug of hot chocolate to the side of his hands. He stared blankly at it, not really seeing it as his mind raced with thoughts of what he should do. He had been pushing this out of his mind as he worked on recovering but now that he was healed up enough to get around and do things on his own, the thoughts just penetrated him.

It had been three days since he had run into Hiruzen and his thoughts just got worse with time. Having first used books to block them out, he now saw no meaning to finally sitting down to go over them. Thinking back to why he was even here, to begin with, he was confused at the events that happened on both sides. He was supposed to be dead, both him and this worlds Madara so he wasn't sure what he was even alive right now, nor why he was even here to begin with. What did he have to lose if he died right then? Why didn't he just die right then? Why was he stopping himself from pulling out a kunai and stabbing himself? What was precious to him here, the thing that kept him here? Where was it at?

These questions floated about in his mind as he sat there. He had nothing and no one that would miss him, no one to cherish here nor anything to tie him down. Well… Maybe Hiruzen would be sad but Madara wasn't certain. He had only just met the man after all. He was tired though, oh do tired. With nothing to keep him there, he was ready to just lay down and never get up.

Letting out a small inaudible sigh, he absently rubs his thumb across his other hand as his thoughts raced.

What was the point of living if there was no one close by to love, to cherish and protect? To have good times with? Madara found that there was non, just like when he was held captive by Zetsu. His hands tightened then as his eye narrows in pain.

_'But…'_

The images of his younger brothers popped into mind then.

* * *

_7-year-old Izuna giggled like crazy as 9-year-old Madara held him securely in his arms, dancing around the homey living room with a goofy grin on his face while 6-year-old Ryouta stood off to the side with a flushed face and a small smile, twiddling with his hands in a shy manner._

* * *

Madara didn't know if his twin brothers were in this world as he had no memories of them here. He did have memories of someone talking about Yumiko, his mother, being pregnant again right before his kidnapping but he wasn't so sure. His brothers had died because of assassins in his world so he wasn't sure if the same was here or not. Not like he should even know who Yumiko is though as he was raised by Grandpa Rara alongside his brothers.

Thinking on his brothers and then on Indra, he lets out another inaudible sigh and lets his head hang down, eye glazed. His blood family… Were they even still looking for this worlds Madara? Would they even care if Madara found them?

Did they remember him?

He clenched his jaw before he pushed his thoughts away. No matter what he decided to do, besides offing himself, he did need money. What he had now wasn't going to last him forever and Minato had offered him a job. While he wasn't positive he would be a good thing for the kids, he at least should try it out. If not for Minato, then for himself. He should also call Hiruzen to ask about the Uchiha clan. First, he needs to find out about his family and proceed from there. If they were dead then Madara would just follow them. If not… Well, that was a bridge Madara could burn when he got there.

With a plan formulated, he straightens up and reaches over to his phone.

Now, just to find the button that allows him to make calls…

* * *

**Hello! I hoped you liked this chapter. Honestly, I finished this one first a week and a half ago and already have almost 1k words on chapter 3. Heh, gotta say I love this book. Anyway, I wasn't planning on making the ending dark, it just kind of came out that way. Can't say I don't like it though! Mah, I hope you liked this chapter, please tell me what you think? See you on the 31st of December! Oh, and happy belated Thanksgiving!**


	4. (3) First Calls, Walmart, and Meetings W

Running his thumb over the side of his phone, he searches for the singular button located there. Once finding it, he presses on it before squinting his eye practically closed as he quickly pulls the phone away from him. The light was scorching in the darkness shrouding him. Blinking rapidly, he quickly adapted to the brightness of the phone and goes about unlocking in. His hand then freezes when he sees the time, having glanced at it by chance. He stiffens in surprise, his eye-widening as he rereads the time once more.

3:47 am.

Letting out an elongated sigh, he turns his phone off and heads to his room down the hall with unsteady legs, having given up on his goal for now. Slipping inside, he carefully lowers himself onto the bed, plopping his phone down on the bedside table and promptly buries his face into the overly soft pillow below him. He didn't have it in him to bother with the covers tonight.

Barely five minutes go by before Madara was out like a light, dozing in a light sleep.

* * *

He lazily thumbs his phone for a moment as he thinks about who to call first. It was noon of the next day and he was just starting to feel hungry so he had pulled himself from his bed and now stood inside his kitchen in a lost way, having missed dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning. Glancing around the kitchen, he then went straight to the fridge as he presses his thumb down on the call button. Bringing it up to his ear, he grips it tightly as this was the first call he's ever made, making him a bit nervous and uneasy at the unknown outcome. Opening the fridge, he leans in to sneak a look inside before promptly letting out a small yelp and jumping up, hitting his head on the edge of the fridge. Falling into a crouch as his free arm goes down and wraps around his now scorching stomach, he breathes out a shaky breath.

No matter what anyone said, he would deny it to his deathbed that he ever jumped at the sounds of a phone ringing.

Feeling his face and ears heat up in embarrassment, he calms his beating heart as he steadies his breathing. It took a moment but he finally felt his heart calm before he flinched at hearing a voice right in his ear.

_"Sarutobi Hiruzen speaking, how may I help you?"_ An aged voice asked.

With an odd heavy feeling in his stomach, he pushed past the pain and stood up, letting out a shaky breath.

_"Hello?"_ Hiruzen questions.

"Ah… Hiruzen? This is Madara. Pardon me for not responding fast enough." Madara finally says, leaning against the fridge door for help as he glances inside it. He hears Hiruzen let out a chuckle before the man replied.

_"No need for apologies now, we have all done it at least once. Now, are you okay there? You sound a bit shaken."_ Hiruzen asks. Madara mentally lets out a curse as he pales slightly at the sudden bout of pain that spiked through him. Swallowing the saliva that built up a bit too quickly, he lets out a small sigh.

"Yes, I am fine Hiruzen. Just my wounds acting up. Practically fell when I called you and it pulled the stitches. Nothing you need to worry about, though." He said, slight aggravation coating his tone. With furrowed eyebrows, he looks inside the fridge once more before he pushes himself off of the door and closes it. He didn't bother looking inside the cabinets above the bar as he already knew they were empty. Instead, he headed out of the kitchen and into the living room.

_"Oh, I see. Non of the stitches are popped are they?"_ He questions worry evident in his tone. Madara lets out a snort as he grabs his black furry coat and slips it on with slight difficulty, his free arm wrapping around his stomach again once inside the sleeve.

"Thankfully, no." He said gruffly as he then turned and went to the door. Slowly sitting on the ground, he then started pulling on his boots, phone held between his shoulder and head.

A sigh could be heard through the phone before Hiruzen spoke. _"That is good. Now then, what do I own this call to? I presume it is something important if you decided to call instead of text as usual."_

Madara pauses in pulling on his second boot before continuing. "Ah… Yes, do you by chance happen to know of any Uchiha's around here?" He asks, not letting his hesitance show. He could hear some shuffling through the line before Hiruzen let out a hum.

_"Uchiha? Yes, they reside in this city. A lot of them are on the police force. I believe Uchiha Indra is the chief even. Why? Is there an Uchiha I need to kill?"_ Hiruzen asks curiously, sounding far to innocent for saying something like that.

Madara chokes on his own spit, causing him to let out a series of coughs. "N-No, no. There is no one you need to kill, Hiruzen. Thank you though. I was just curious. I have heard about their family and did not know if it proceeded the rumors." He lies smoothly, clearing his throat as he clutches his stomach and curls in on himself a bit to try and ease the pain. Making a hand sign and sending the right amount of chakra through it, he then rubs his now glowing green hand over his stomach to try and ease the immense pain he felt.

There was a small pause before Hiruzen responded. _"Alright, if you say so. Now then… the Uchiha family. My, they have been in this city for generations, even back in my day they were here. They were a big help to the wars as well since their family is really big on military and police training. Do you know the military base west of town? The Uchiha go there regularly to help out. That family is really big on combat-related things. Oh, and fire. A lot of them show worrisome signs of being pyromaniacs. At least they use it right."_

Madara finished tying the laces of his boots just as Hiruzen finished. Sitting up, he slowly gets up as he holds the phone to his ear, stopping the flow of chakra to his hand. He lets out a small grunt. "I see… So they deal heavily with the government." _'Ironic…'_ "Well, that was all I had wanted to know. If you have any other information on them, please let me know." He says. Hiruzen just chuckles.

_"Of course, my boy. Stay safe out there, alright? Feel free to call me anytime."_

"Hn, I will. Goodbye." Madara then hung up the phone, making his way out of the door after grabbing his duffle bag and putting it on. Locking up, he then heads to the city with plans of calling Minato after he wasn't jumping through the trees. Madara sped up his pace more than usual so he made it back to the park in only fifteen minutes, now knowing the path quite well. Madara then starts his walk to Walmart while staring at his phone. Letting out a small sigh, he dials the number Minato gave him before clicking the green call button on the screen. Bringing it up to his ear, he waited.

Madara didn't so much as flinch when the phone ringed this time. It was on the third ring when Minato answered.

_"This is Namikaze Minato speaking,"_ Minato said, tone businesslike and serious. Madara pauses for a moment before responding.

"Namikaze-san?" Madara says questioning. Instantly, Minato's tone changed from serious to excited and light.

_"Oh~ Hello again. I see you finally decided to call, sir. Have you decided yet?"_ He asks. Madara roams his eyes over the small shops around him, turning a corner and then spotting Walmart. He makes his way to the closest entrance. "Ah… Yes, I have. If you wouldn't mind having someone like me teaching your kids then I would like to join." He said, grabbing one of the large-wheeled baskets instead of the carrier ones on his way up to the door. He heard Minato chuckle.

_"I'm glad you decided to say yes. It was I who asked you after all. If I denied you now, what kind of person would I be?"_ He said. The sounds of shuffling and a small clink could be heard before he spoke again._ "Is it possible for us to meet today to get the needed paperwork done?"_

Madara snorted, nodding to the lady in the yellow vest as he passed her, leaning his upper body onto the railing of the cart as he went down the aisle in front of him. "As long as it is within the next three hours, I think I can manage. I am currently in Walmart at the moment. I should be done in the hour." Madara said, glancing in the aisles as he passed them. He then turned into the canned aisle. Stopping, he looks over them.

_"Hmm…"_ Minato hummed, the sounds of papers being shifted and flipped could be heard before he let out a small noise of exclamation. _"I have some free time in an hour so it should line up perfectly. Will that be satisfactory?"_

Madara grabs a few cans of veggies, mainly peas before he made his way out of the aisle. "Yes, that will be fine." He grabbed a few items as he went through the aisle that caught his attention. Some spices here, a few more interesting seeds there, and some milk. He then went down the meat selection, looking them over.

_"Great. I will see you in an hour then…"_

Madara furrows his brows at Minato's dwindling voice before he makes a small noise. "Madara, my name is Madara." Reaching forward, he grabs two small packets of hamburger and puts them into his basket before walking over to the bread aisle, seeing as it wasn't far. _"Madara then. I'll see you in an hour, Madara. Just come to the Academy building. The office is right beside the front entrance."_ Minato said. Madara nods slightly, even though Minato couldn't see it. "Hn, I will." Without much else to say, he then hangs up the phone. Pocketing it, a sudden thought crosses his mind.

He didn't come off as rude for ending the phone call that suddenly, did he?

He contemplated his thought for a moment before mentally shrugging and grabbing a small loaf of bread. He wasn't all that knowledgeable on that. Socializing was one thing he didn't have for many years so he didn't know how to react and respond to people. Technology was still new to him as well so he wasn't sure if that was considered rude or not. Oh well, he would just have to deal with it when it came.

Going back to walking around aimlessly, he picks up a dozen eggs and some Pocky, as well as a small bag of caramel hard candies. He wasn't sure what they were but they sounded delicious. He then made his way towards the clothing section, grabbing some socks, underwear, and another pair of baggy pants.

After he was done, he then checked his phone for the time before heading to the front to check out. He still had about fifteen minutes before his scheduled arrival time. Soon, he got to the front and stood behind a woman who was just checking out. He silently watched as she grabbed her bags, smiled at the man behind the desk, and left. Madara then started loading his stuff onto the belt thingy. He saw the brunette man jump slightly and turn to look at him with wide eyes before he quickly smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I didn't see you there." He said as he immediately went to scanning his items and putting them in bags. Madara just nods to him as he walks over to the other side of the desk and sets down his duffle bag on the circular thing with bags on it. "It is fine." He responded. The man just smiled, looking uneasy as he worked. It was silent between them as Madara put bag after bag inside his duffle bag so that he had to carry less in his arms. Soon, they were done. Madara put his duffle bag back on and pulled out his wallet. Before the man could even say his total amount, he handed him three hundred bucks. He got his change back silently before he grabbed the last bag, the one with eggs and bread and Pocky, and headed out. He heard the man let out a breath as he left but he said nothing.

He winced as he walked as his injuries were turning painful, more so than usual. It probably had something to do with what happened before he left. Rolling his shoulders, he walked out of the store and through the massive parking lot, checking his phone once more.

Seven minutes left.

Madara picked up his pace as he pulled his chakra even tighter around him, heading towards where the Academy he saw in passing was. He didn't want to be late. Soon, he made it there but he knew even before he saw the time that he was ten minutes late. Frowning, he looked up at the massive building. It was only one story and didn't have a roof as houses did. The building was long though, and a pale dusty blue with bright yellow letters on the side stating its name. It was surrounded by a cobbled fence that went up to his waist with a parking lot off to the side, not inside the cobbled academy. Walking up the paved sidewalk to the front door, he opened it and stepped inside, immediately being met with a rush of cold air. He shivered, not really a fan of the cold but pushed passed it and looked around, scanning the pale tan walls.

There, to the right of him, was a door that was opened just a crack and the sounds of paper shifting and a pen scratching on something could be heard, as well as a male voice muttering lowly, seeing to be talking to himself. Madara recognized it as Minato so he went over to crack the door open more and knocked. He heard a small bang and a whispered curse before pushing the door open fully with his free hand.

The room was decently sized with a long and weirdly shaped desk off to the side back corner of the room, a door right behind it but that was closed. There was a large desk with a weird machine on it at the other side of the room with two bookshelves and two chairs littered about. Minato set behind the desk, hair looking even messier than when he first saw him. He gave Madara a kind and curious smile, if not a little unsteady as he pulls his hand out from under the desk. Madara thought that maybe that sound he heard was Minato hitting his knee on the desk.

He pushed away the urge to smirk then.

"Ah! Madara! Just in time, I was wondering when you'd get here." Minato said cheerfully as his curious blue eyes drifted to the bag of bread and eggs in his hand. He raised an amused eyebrow and smiled funnily as Madara went further inside. "Just got done shopping? You could have gone home and dropped that off you know."

Madara shrugs lightly as he carefully sits down, setting the bag of goods on the floor beside him, along with his duffle bag. "Apologies. I live a bit outside the city so I would not have made it back in time." He said in response. Minato's eyebrows raise a bit as he sifts through a few papers. "Oh? Wouldn't the drive be fast though? Especially if it's just that one bag." He said. Madara just shakes his head.

"No, I walk as I don't own a vehicle. I will soon though. Also, the other groceries are in my duffle bag for easier carry."

Madara leaned back into the chair as Minato pauses before grabbing a few papers from the ones he was looking through. He leans down and grabs a brown board with a metal thing stuck to it, put the paper under the metal and handed it over to him. Minato smiled understandingly. "Ah, okay. How has your day been then? I presume busy." Minato said before leaning back and grabbing a small box that was underneath the desk. "Just sign where the red marks are as they are required. Everything else is voluntary. Have you eaten lunch yet?"

Madara grabs the board and skims over the first page, nodding to Minato. "My day has been fine, if not a little slow." Madara leans forward, holding back the flinch from doing that, and grabs a pen from the penholder on his desk. He stares at it for a moment before looking down and goes to writing what was required. Oddly enough, last names weren't marked in red. "No, I haven't eaten lunch yet. I do plan to once I get home though." He finished. Minato hums as he opens the box and pulls out more blank paper. Setting it down on his desk, he reseals the box and puts it away before grabbing the papers again.

Pushing himself away from the desk, his wheeled chair rolls before he stands up and walks over to the big machine in the room. Madara pays him no mind as he skips over most of the non required stuff. Flipping the page, he glances at the back of it before moving onto the next one when he saw nothing there. There wasn't much required, surprisingly. The sudden sound of beeping made him jump in his seat, his head flinging up to look at the thing that caused the noise. He sees Minato pressing a few buttons on the thing before the beeping stopped. Minato turned and chuckled lightly, reaching back to rub the back of his neck as he stepped away from the machine and back around to his desk.

"Sorry about that. The printer just likes to make random noises when it's not supposed to." He chuckles again as he sits back down on his chair as the… printer makes small sounds. Madara stares at it for a moment before glancing at Minato, said man with another stack of papers in his hands again, looking through them. He sends him a curious smile when he glanced up and their eyes met but Madara didn't answer that curiousness as he went back to finishing his papers. "It is fine."

Minato just smiled at him, his dark gem-like eyes twinkling at him before he looked down at his work. The only sounds for the next ten minutes were from the printer, Minato sifting through pages and separating them in certain piles, and Madara's pen hitting paper. Once he was done, Madara put his pen back in the jar on his desk and hands Minato the board back. Minato's calm face turns curious and serious as he grabs it and looks through it before he gives Madara a smile. He didn't mention the lack of a last name.

"Thank you, Madara. Now then, why don't I show you to your classroom?" Minato says as he set down the board and stood up. Madara nods and stands up as well, grabbing his duffle bag and food bag. He then follows Minato out of the room as Minato grabs a key from the desk drawer and walks to the door. Standing to his right and a little behind, he follows Minato out and down the hall. Minato points to the hallway on the left of them.

"That leads down to the cafeteria where the kids eat breakfast and lunch. The kitchen is behind that. If you're ever hungry, feel free to go and get something from there or make yourself something. Those doors right there lead outside into the food court. Students have the option to eat inside the cafeteria or there. Walking a little ways down that path is the gym with a court beside it." Minato said, pointing to the doors in front of them at the end of the hall. He then turns down the right hallway. "This hallway is where three of the classrooms are located. Those two doors on the left are History and Geography, and Science and Chemistry. The first one of the right it Mathematics, Arithmetic, and Physics. The door beside it is a storage room that works for a cleaning supply room as well for our janitor." He explained as they walked passed each room. Madara nods along silently.

They took left this time, going around the classrooms. "Those two-door on the right are Reading and Writing, and Biology. The two doors on the left are Music and Art. The last door at the end of the hall is yours, the Library. The other building outside the school is the Auditorium. While we don't have a specific room for Information technology, at the end of the school day on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, every class is taught it with the laptops in storage. We don't need a pool here either, unlike some schools, since there's a pool only a block away that doesn't mind us taking random days to teach the kids how to swim so long as we call ahead. Oh, and the playgrounds are in front of the Academy, as I'm sure you saw." Minato said as they reached the Library. Sticking the key into the knob, he unlocks it and opens the door.

Stepping inside and moving to the side as Madara steps inside as well, he smiles at him. Madara just raises an eyebrow as he looks around. The walls were a light powdery blue that was trimmed white. In the middle left wall was a large desk with a computer on it. To the right of the room was tons of large bookshelves lined up neatly with a few hard chairs were and there, a small desk sitting against the wall in front of him, under the window. There was a lot of natural light. It was also dusty.

"We try and clean it as often but it would seem not many of the students use this room at all. While we did have a librarian, they were never permanent regrettably, always leaving at the end of the year. My Wife was supposed to take this job before she… Well, I believe it's about time for this room to be used as she had wanted it to be used." Minato said. Madara turns to look at him then, finished with observing. He furrowed his brows. 'Kushina's dead here?'

"Now then!" Minato smiles, interrupting him before Madara could even open his mouth, it coming off as unreadable as usual. "What you will be doing is teaching the students anything you want in here. It doesn't matter what subjects you choose, even subjects that aren't in school, like survival tips or how to garden, it doesn't matter. Some days I will ask you to teach a certain subject but it's mainly on your choice. There will be kids from all of the classes coming to yours at random. Of course, it will be a set amount unless you feel like adding more. Mainly, these kids will be the ones who finish early, already know the stuff their learning, are feeling tired, for the younger kids, need more attention than some teachers can give, or are too rambunctious." Minato said as he looks over the room.

"Feel free to make this room how you want. It's yours to mold for your students. Oh! Right, the two doors opposite of mine are the secretary office and the medical office so if you or a student is injured, please go see Kurenai. She's the nurse on hand but she does teach the children a few times out of the week about health and how the body works. Mostly for the bigger kids." Minato said before he hands over the key to the room. Madara takes it and pockets it into his coat. "How many students are there?" Madara asks as he follows Minato out of the door. He turns around and closes it, locking it.

"Last year there was 156 but there might be more joining this year. I'm already getting a few people asking to enroll their children. The war really screwed with the younger generation. Luckily, or maybe not so luckily, besides the kids with illnesses, most kids here seem to come from bad homes. Some are from the war but most kids like that get help from the Police force and Military with their classes. They have really helped with that."

Madara nods as they walk back down the hallways to Minato's office. "What of the door in your office?" He asks, jumping questions again. Minato glances at him. "That room is the meeting room. Which reminds me, we're having a meeting in three days to go over some stuff. Will you be joining us? It's at noon. Usually, we have the meeting and then eat lunch together by ordering takeout in advance." He said as he turns the corner. Going into his office, he pushes the door all the way open and goes behind his desk. He went over to the printer and grabbed the large stack of paper that was now printed.

Madara was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. On one hand, he'd meet everyone and get to know them. With his theory on how this city had everyone from his Konoha in it, he wouldn't be surprised if some teachers were of people he knew. On the other hand, did he really feel ready to meet with so many people? How would he react? So far, he gets tense in crowds but that was with no one talking to him. No one paying him any attention.

He wasn't sure if he'd react safely.

Still… "Is there anything I will need to bring?" He found himself asking, mind made up even with the growing uneasy weariness he felt. Minato looks up at him with a smile, eyes bright as he straightens his poster with empty yellow folders in hand. Setting the papers next to the printer and the yellow folders on the printer. He then grabbed a few pages and put them in the folder before setting it on his desk. With a pen, he wrote something on the tab before repeating the process. All the while, Madara leaned against the door frame, watching.

"No, nothing is needed as we have everything here. On the subject of needing though, if you ever need help with anything, just ask me or one of the other teachers. Most of us have been here since I created this Academy." Minato said as he finished up with sorting the papers into files. He then grabs the stack of files and hands them over to Madara. Madara raises an eyebrow and takes them. There were at least thirty files here. His eyebrows raised higher as he realized that Minato just sorted through over a hundred papers and neatly filed them away.

"These are what I believe will be your most common students. It has their information so please make sure no one but you see them." Minato said as he backed away and leaned against the desk. "If you want, arrive an hour early to the meeting and I'll show you around thoroughly as there were still a few places for you to see. Sadly, that can't happen today as I have a meeting with the Chief of the police department." He smiled at him kindly then. "I believe that is everything. Are there any more questions?"

Madara frowns as he looks down at the files before nodding. He looks back up at Minato. "You covered everything. If I come up with one, I can just text you anyway. Thank you for all you have done so far. I won't hold you up then." Madara said as he pushes off of the door frame and backs out of the office. Minato just smiles and nods as he turns around, going about grabbing a few things while checking the watch on his wrist. "You're welcome, Madara. Feel free to text me any questions you can think up later. Have a good day." He said. Madara nodded and headed out. "You as well, Namikaze," he said, dropping the san this time. Spending what little time he has outside has made him realize that not many, if any here, add his motherland words to the end of their names.

Heading out the door and down the paved ground, he exits the Academy grounds. Stopping a little ways away from it, he crouches down, swings his duffle back around and unzips it. Pushing the groceries away and sending chakra into the seal he made on a scroll, he makes a lot of the bags disappear into the scroll. Sifting the rest of the bags around, he seals them as well before putting the files inside with the bread and eggs. Grabbing a box of Pocky, he zips up his bag and stands up, heading back down the sidewalk. Opening the box and bag, he starts munching on them, watching the people around him walk past him without noticing him, heading to a weapons store he read on the book he got before. Suddenly, a realization came to him then.

Minato hadn't even batted an eye at him being there. No reactions of a surprise other than when he first met him and that was when he knocked, not even in his line of sight. Minato… seemed to have no problem seeing him, even when his presence was hidden. He didn't even seem to fall out of view.

Madara narrowed his eye then as he frowned. Spotting the weapons shop, he lets out a sigh and decided to think about it later. His wounds were killing him and he wanted to lay down. Walking into the store, he goes about looking around. With plans of stopping by a fabric store before he goes home, his thoughts travel to the meeting that is to be held in three days.

On second thought, maybe he should go and pick up some cookie doe and other things for sweets after hitting that fabric store. He really didn't feel like showing up empty-handed.

* * *

**Notes:**

Well... Hello. Merry belated Christmas everyone and happy new year. I am so sorry I couldn't get out a Christmas special. I was planning it but... It fell through. It would seem that doing six chapters instead of the normal three was a bad idea. I learned my lesson... The next holiday that isn't new years will be made months in advance so I should be ready by then. Now, just to go and see what's coming up. Also, I am sorry this chapter is a bit late. I fell behind a bit this month.

Anyway, I hoped you liked this chapter, I have a bit of trouble with it. This month has been terrible on my drive to write. Oh well. I'll see you next month, please do tell me what you think though.


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